Editorial

A HUMANITARIAN MECHANISM

THERE has been a groundswell of sympathy at the plight of Sri Lanka after the devastation caused by the unprecedented Tsunami Tidal Wave which in a split second killed over 40,000 men, women and children. The worst devastation was in the North and the East where thousands upon thousands were killed, maimed and wounded and several thousand others rendered homeless.

The Government immediately went into action and carried out truck-loads of food, clothes and other essentials, opened refugee camps. However, it was faced with a deep problem, in that, the aid did not reach Tsunami hit areas under the LTTE control, which were very badly affected. Hence the Government decided a mechanism was imperative.

According to the latest reports the problems faced by the LTTE controlled areas are enormous and a Government and LTTE joined mechanism is an essential necessity.

It must be made clear to extremists that they accept the fact that the efforts to set up a joint mechanism for aid to the Tsunami victims in the LTTE controlled areas are not connected with the LTTE proposal to have an ISGA. This is purely a humanitarian exercise and is essential. By this, the Government is also eliminating any attempts at false propaganda that it is not providing for Tsunami affected victims, particularly targeted at the international community.

Undoubtedly the joint mechanism for the distribution of aid towards rehabilitation, resettlement and reconciliation will soften the stance of the LTTE and see a glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel.

We welcome the fact that the LTTE has shown some flexibility in setting up a joint mechanism for the implementation of humanitarian measures. This, we sincerely hope, could be the beginning of a new era of peace, reconciliation and goodwill among the people of this country.

It must be remembered by us all, that it was President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga from the time she entered politics, who has worked relentlessly and even risked her life for the rights of the Tamils and sought a negotiated political settlement to the ethnic problem. No one else has done this in the past.

The Government is united in the efforts to reconstruct, rehabilitate and to resettle Tamils in both the Government and the LTTE controlled areas and it is sincerely hoped that the LTTE's acceptance of this genuine offer will ease their burdens.

Hence, it is the duty of every citizen to support President Kumaratunga in her relentless efforts to restore peace and harmony to this country.

A TASTE FOR MUSIC

MOST of us have a taste for music, the universal language, in the metaphorical sense of the word. But some people seem to be having a taste for music - quite literally. This rare phenomenon has come to light from Switzerland - a Swiss musician sees colours when she hears music and experiences tastes ranging from sour and bitter to low-fat cream and mown grass.

Zurich University neuropsychologists were so intrigued by the case of E.S. - a 27-year-old professional musician whose full name has been withheld - that they recruited her for a year-long inquiry.

They say she is the world's most extreme known case of synaesthesia, the phenomenon whereby hearing music triggers a response in other sensory organs. E.S. sees colours when she hears a tone, with for instance an F sharp causing her to see violet while a C makes her see red, quite literally. Even more remarkable is that she also gets a taste on her tongue according to the note she hears.

Food and music always go well together. Shakespeare said it all when he wrote that "if music be the food of love, play on". Restaurant managers know this rather well - that is why they play soothing, romantic music to accompany the food. Both food and music involve most of the physical senses as well as mental faculties. A sumptuous dish is a feast for the eyes and accompanied by the right kind of music, a veritable gift for the taste buds. Supermarkets too are following this trend, with studies suggesting that playing some types of music helps boost sales.

It is also well-known that some people have an inborn talent for music. Research has shown that even unborn babies can appreciate good music from within the womb. More uses are being discovered all the time for music. A recent news item revealed that a student studying meterological science, blind since age seven, has developed a program to associate various colours with different strands of music. This obviously works only for visually impaired people who have a colour memory, but the potential for further development cannot be dismissed.

Music, vision and taste - as the latest studies prove, they go hand in hand. There could be many more among us who have E.S's talent at the tip of the tongue. A little bit of 'tuning' may be all that is needed to achieve the sensory equivalent of pure heaven.